System for managing utility and waste services

ABSTRACT

A system is disclosed for managing services at a customer location. The system may have at least one offboard utility meter, a communication device, and a controller in communication with the at least one offboard utility meter via the communication device. The controller may be configured to receive information from the at least one offboard utility meter during a waste service activity at the customer location by a waste service vehicle and to determine based on the information from the at least one offboard utility meter a fee associated with at least one utility service provided at the customer location. The controller may also be configured to generate at least one invoice for the waste service activity and for the fee associated with the at least one utility service.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a management system and,more particularly, to a system for managing utility and waste services.

BACKGROUND

Residential waste service providers typically dispatch service vehiclesto customer properties according to a predetermined pickup routeassigned to each service vehicle. The pickup route for each servicevehicle is often designed to provide waste services (e.g., emptyingwaste receptacles) within a particular geographical area (e.g., asubdivision) and at a particular frequency (e.g., once per week). Forexample, a particular service vehicle may be tasked to service severalhundred waste receptacles at closely-spaced residences within aparticular subdivision on a Tuesday every week. After completion of thewaste services within that subdivision, the service vehicle operator mayreport the completion to a back office, which updates the operator'sroute and an account record for each customer. Customers in thesubdivision that subscribe to these waste services are then billed basedon the account record.

In addition to receiving waste services, most customers also receiveservices from one or more utility companies. For example, a customer mayreceive power from a power company, water from a water company, fuel(e.g., natural gas or heating oil) from a fuel provider, internetservice from an internet provider, phone service from a phone serviceprovider, etc. Similar to the waste service described above, thecustomer is generally billed on a monthly basis by each provider for thecorresponding services rendered.

Although the conventional system of multiple service providersgenerating separate and independent bills may be acceptable in somescenarios, it can also be problematic. For example, it can be cumbersomeand difficult for a customer to separately process each bill, andexpensive and time consuming for the utility companies to generate thebills and manage the accounts. In addition, it can be burdensome for thecustomer to arrange for special conditions and/or scheduleirregularities (e.g., increases or decreases in customer needs, serviceinterruptions due to vacations, etc.) with each of the differentcompanies.

The disclosed system and method are directed to overcoming one or moreof the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a system formanaging services at a customer location. The system may include atleast one offboard utility meter, a communication device, and acontroller in communication with the at least one offboard utility metervia the communication device. The controller may be configured toreceive information from the at least one offboard utility meter duringa waste service activity at the customer location by a waste servicevehicle and to determine based on the information from the at least oneoffboard utility meter a fee associated with at least one utilityservice provided at the customer location. The controller may also beconfigured to generate at least one invoice for the waste serviceactivity and for the fee associated with the at least one utilityservice.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method formanaging services at a customer location. The method may include, duringa waste service activity performed by a waste service vehicle at thecustomer location, wirelessly receiving information about at least oneutility service provided at the customer location. The method may alsoinclude determining based on the information about the at least oneutility service a fee associated with the at least one utility service,and generating at least one invoice for the waste service activity andfor the fee associated with the at least one utility service.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to anon-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executableprogramming instructions for performing a method of service managementat a customer location. The method may include, during a waste serviceactivity performed by a waste service vehicle at the customer location,wirelessly receiving onboard the waste service vehicle at least one of alevel of utility consumption at the customer location, an amountremaining of a particular necessity at the customer location, and acurrent utility consumption setting associated with a plurality ofutility services provided at the customer location. The method may alsoinclude determining a fee associated with the plurality of utilityservices, and generating at least one invoice for the waste serviceactivity and for the fee associated with the plurality of utilityservices. The method may further include receiving electronic paymentfor the at least one invoice, and selectively distributing the paymentto a plurality of providers corresponding with the plurality of utilityservices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of an exemplary disclosed wastemanagement environment;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary disclosed systemthat may be used to manage the environment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary disclosed method ofmanaging waste services that may be performed by the system of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary waste management environment(“environment”) 10, at which one or more service vehicles 12 areproviding waste services. Environment 10 may include any number ofretail stores, factories, government buildings, residential addresses,or other locations having one or more receptacles 14 that require theservice of vehicle 12. The service may include, for example, the removalof waste materials from inside of receptacle 14, the replacement ofreceptacle 14, and/or the placement of new or additional receptacles 14.

Vehicle 12 may embody a haul truck (and/or a trailer that is attachableto the haul truck), which includes or otherwise carries a storagecompartment for holding waste materials. As is known in the art, thestorage compartment may have a rear, side, and/or top hatch forreceiving materials from receptacles 14, and the waste materials may bemanually, automatically, or semi-automatically loaded into the storagecompartment of a particular vehicle 12 via the corresponding hatch. Forexample, management personnel may be able to manually empty receptacles14 into the storage compartment of a rear-hatch vehicle 12. In anotherexample, vehicles 12 may include mechanical, electrical, and/orhydraulic systems configured to automatically grasp, lift, tilt, shake,and thereby empty receptacles 14 into vehicle 12 via a top-hatch. In yetanother example, some tasks (e.g., grasping) may be completed manuallyand other tasks (e.g., lifting, tilting, and shaking) may be completedwith the assistance of the mechanical, electrical, and/or hydraulicsystems via a side-hatch of vehicle 12. In a final example, receptacle14 may simply be loaded (e.g., manually, automatically, orsemi-automatically) together with the waste contents onto vehicle 12 andtransported away for emptying at another location.

As each vehicle 12 services receptacles 14 within environment 10, themotions of vehicle 12 may be monitored. For example, a satellite 16 orother tracking device may communicate with a controller 18 (shown onlyin FIG. 2) to monitor the movements of vehicle 12 and the associatedchanges made to environment 10 (e.g., pickup, transporting, dumping,placing, etc.). As will be explained in more detail below, controller 18may facilitate management of service activities performed withinenvironment 10.

Controller 18 may include means for monitoring, recording, storing,indexing, processing, communicating, and/or controlling other onboardand/or offboard devices. These means may include, for example, a memory,one or more data storage devices, a central processing unit, or anyother components that may be used to run the disclosed application.Furthermore, although aspects of the present disclosure may be describedgenerally as being stored in memory, one skilled in the art willappreciate that these aspects can be stored on or read from differenttypes of computer program products or computer-readable media such ascomputer chips and secondary storage devices, including hard disks,floppy disks, optical media, CD-ROM, or other forms of RAM or ROM. Insome embodiments, controller 18 may be carried by the operator ofservice vehicle 12. For example, controller 18 could be embodied as asmartphone, tablet, or other personal computing device.

As shown in FIG. 2, controller 18 may form a portion of a managementsystem (“system”) 20 that is configured to track, assist, and/or controlmovements of service vehicle(s) 12 (shown only in FIG. 1) and/or otherutilities at a customer location. In addition to controller 18, system20 may also include at least one locating device 22 positioned onboardeach service vehicle 12, at least one input device 24 positioned onboardeach service vehicle 12, and at least one offboard utility meter 26positioned offboard service vehicle 12 (e.g., at the customer location).Controller 18 may be in communication with each of these othercomponents and configured to determine, based on signals from thesecomponents and based on other known information stored in memory, thelocation of each service vehicle 12, characteristics and locations ofreceptacles 14 being moved by and/or in a vicinity of each servicevehicle 12, and information associated with other utility services beingprovided at the customer location.

In one embodiment, locating device 22 may be configured to generatesignals indicative of a geographical position and/or orientation ofservice vehicle 12 relative to a local reference point, a coordinatesystem associated with environment 10, a coordinate system associatedwith Earth, or any other type of 2-D or 3-D coordinate system. Forexample, locating device 22 may embody an electronic receiver configuredto communicate with satellites 16 (referring to FIG. 1), or a localradio or laser transmitting system used to determine a relativegeographical location of itself. Locating device 22 may receive andanalyze high-frequency, low-power radio or laser signals from multiplelocations to triangulate a relative 3-D geographical position andorientation. Based on the signals generated by locating device 22 andbased on known kinematics of service vehicle 12, controller 18 may beable to determine in real or near real time, the position, heading,travel speed, acceleration, and orientation of service vehicle 12. Thisinformation may then be used by controller 18 to update the locationsand conditions of service vehicle(s) 12 and/or receptacles 14 in anelectronic map or database of environment 10.

Input device 24 may provide a way for an operator of service vehicle 12to input information regarding observances made while traveling aroundenvironment 10. For example, the operator may be able to enter a typeand/or condition of waste observed at a particular location, an amountof waste in or around receptacle 14, a fill status of a particularreceptacle 14, a condition of receptacle 14, a location of receptacle14, and or other information about receptacle 14 and the waste engagedby, loaded into, or otherwise processed by service vehicle 12. Theinformation may be input in any number of ways, for example via acab-mounted touch screen interface, via one or more buttons, via akeyboard, via speech recognition, via a mobile device (e.g., asmartphone or tablet) carried by the operator, or in another mannerknown in the art. In addition to receiving manual input from anoperator, input device 24 may also be capable of displaying information,for example the electronic map of environment 10, instructions,scheduling, routing, receptacle information (e.g., ID, configuration,location, weight, etc.), payload information (e.g., weight and/orvolume), etc.

In some embodiments, input device 24 may be configured to execute anapplication. For example, when input device 24 is a mobile device (e.g.,a smartphone), the application can be a mobile app (“app”). An app is anabbreviated term for a “software application”, which is downloadable to,and executable by, a mobile device (e.g., a laptop, a smart phone, or atablet). The disclosed management app can provide a graphical userinterface (GUI) configured to display information about a waste orutility service to the operator of service vehicle 12, to receive inputfrom the operator regarding a completed or incomplete service activity,to transmit the operational data to controller 18, to receive anddisplay information about a current operation or setting, etc.

Any number of utility meters 26 may be positioned (e.g., temporarily orpermanently) offboard at a particular customer location. In the exampleof FIGS. 1 and 2, a water meter, a gas meter, an electricity meter, anda thermostat are shown. It is contemplated, however, that additionaland/or different utility meters 26 could be utilized at the samecustomer location. Each utility meter 26 may be an electronic devicethat is configured to track, record, and/or regulate consumption of aneveryday necessity (e.g., water, sewer, electricity, natural gas,telephone service, internet service, and other essentials).

In some embodiments, utility meter 26 may be capable of communication(e.g., 1-way or 2-way communication) with controller 18, for example viaa communication device 28. The communication may include, among otherthings, a level of utility consumption, an amount remaining of aparticular necessity, a current consumption setting (e.g., atemperature, a lighting level, etc.), a commanded setting, an alert,etc. Utility meter(s) 26 may be configured to communicate withcontroller 18 during a waste service activity (e.g., during lifting,shaking, tilting, and/or dumping of emptying of receptacle 14; duringplacement of a new receptacle 14; during retrieval of waste not inreceptacle 14; and/or during another waste-related activity) performedby service vehicle 12 at the customer location. This communication maybe initiated, for example, based on a detected proximity of servicevehicle 12 to the customer location and/or based on a signal transmittedby controller 18 upon detected arrival at the location, a detected startof a service event, or a manual input received via input device 24.

In one example, communication device 28 includes an onboard component(e.g., an electronic transmitter and/or receiver) 28 b, and at least oneoffboard component (e.g., an electronic transmitter and/or receiver) 28a. These components may include hardware (e.g., I/O devices, a display,a processor, a memory, etc.) and/or software (e.g., an operating system,communication software, an app, etc.) necessary to facilitate wirelesscommunication. This communication could be based on one or more wirelessproprietary protocol, such as NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (e.g., 802.11),cellular signals (e.g., GSM, CDMA, and LTE), satellite, etc. It iscontemplated that a single offboard component 28 a could be networkedwith multiple utility meters 26 and function as a hub for communicationwith onboard component 28 b. Alternatively, each utility meter 26 couldinclude a dedicated offboard component 28 a for separate communicationwith onboard component 28 b, as desired.

Controller 18 may receive and analyze signals from offboard component 28a (e.g., via onboard component 28 b), and responsively determine aunique identification of the customer location (e.g., the owner's name,address, and/or account number) at which service is being performed. Insome embodiments, controller 18 may be able to determine the owner'sname, address, and/or account number based on a strength of signalsgenerated by offboard component 28 a in connection with signalsgenerated by locating device 22 and known accounts associated withparticular locations. This information may then be linked by controller18 to service-related information (e.g., information associated withwaste services provided by service vehicle 12 and/or other utilityservices tracked, recorded, and/or regulated by utility meter(s) 26).Controller 18 may also filter the signals, buffer the signals, recordthe signals, or otherwise condition the signals received from the otheronboard and/or offboard components.

Controller 18, based on the information received from the other deviceslocated onboard and offboard service vehicle 12, may be configured toexecute instructions stored on computer readable medium to performmethods of utility management at environment 10. For example, controller18 may be configured to determine when service vehicle 12 is close to acustomer location at which waste services are to be performed, detectperformance of the waste services, and create a record of theperformance that is stored in the memory of controller 18. In addition,while service vehicle 12 is at the customer location, controller 18 maycommunicate with offboard components (e.g., utility meter(s) 26) at thecustomer location, receive consumption information from the components,provide control commands to the components, and/or pass the consumptioninformation on to the corresponding utility companies. In someembodiments, controller 18 may also be configured to communicate with anoffboard controller 32 (e.g., a controller located at a back office 34),and report the consumption and/or control information to the back office34. This information may then be used to generate billing, updateaccount records, make changes to account settings, etc.

An exemplary management process that may be performed by controller 18(and/or controller 32) is illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 will beexplained in more detail in the following section to further illustratethe disclosed concepts.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The disclosed system, method, and app may be applicable to the serviceindustry, where efficient management of waste and utility services canaffect profitability of a service provider and satisfaction of acustomer. The disclosed system, method, and app may allow for theservices of multiple different providers to be easily managed via asingle app. This may include, among other things, service monitoring,consumption tracking, data recording, accounting, billing, and serviceadjusting. For example, the disclosed system, method, and app mayprovide a graphical user interface (GUI) allowing data from any numberof utility meters at a customer location to be locally transmitted to awaste service vehicle, while the waste service vehicle is performingwaste-relate services at the property. This information may then be usedto create a single invoice for the customer for the utility and wasteservices. The customer may then pay once for all of the services, andthe disclosed app may distribute the payment to each correspondingutility provider. In addition, the disclosed system, method, and app maybe able to make automated adjustments to utility consumption (e.g.,changes to heating and/or lighting levels) at the property (e.g., basedon trend analysis). The GUI of the disclosed app may also allow theoperator (and/or the customer) to view the location of service vehicle12 relative to the customer location, as well as summary and/or controlinformation regarding the waste and utility services. The GUI providedby the disclosed app may also relay to the operator visual directions tothe customer location, provide visual status indicators associated withwaste and/or utility services, and provide a way for the operator togive feedback or other input regarding service activities, the customerlocation, service vehicle 12, etc. The disclosed method will now beexplained in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

As seen in FIG. 3, the method implemented by controller 18 may begin atstartup of service vehicle 12 (e.g., at start of a service route, a workshift, when prompted by the operator, or in response to anothertriggering condition). Controller 18 may then determine and display aroute of customer locations that the operator should service during thework shift (Step 305). In some instances, the route may be determinedautomatically by controller 18, for example based on an identificationof service vehicle 12, an identification of the operator, a day of theweek, or another similar factor. In other instances, the route may bemanually selected (e.g., by the operator and/or a supervisor) from amonga plurality of available routes. Display of the route may include, amongother things, a listing of the customer locations, directions to thecustomer locations, a map of the customer locations, service (e.g.,waste and/or utility) information about each customer location, and/or aschedule of when each customer location should be serviced.

After receiving the route (e.g., as electronic data stored inside inputdevice 24), the operator may drive service vehicle 12 toward a customerlocation listed first in the route. During this travel, controller 18may track the location of service vehicle 12 (Step 310), and compare thelocation to a known position of the customer location. Specifically,controller 18 may determine if service vehicle 12 is within a thresholdproximity of the customer location (Step 315). For example, based on acomparison of a GPS location of service vehicle 12 with knowncoordinates of the customer location, controller 18 may determine thatservice vehicle 12 is close enough to the customer location forperformance of the required service. In another example, based ondetection (e.g., a strength and/or identification) of a wireless signalbroadcast from offboard communication device 28 a at the customerlocation, controller 18 may be able to determine that service vehicle 12is adequately close to the customer location. In yet another example,controller 18 may rely on both the GPS location and the wireless signalas input to the determination made at Step 315. When controller 18determines that service vehicle 12 is not within the threshold proximityto the customer location (Step 315:N), control may loop back to Step310.

However, when controller 18 determines that service vehicle 12 is closeenough to the customer location for performance of the required serviceat the customer location (Step 315:Y), controller 18 may beginmonitoring performance of the required waste-related service (Step 320).This may include monitoring movement of receptacle 14, monitoringlifting, tilting, dumping, and/or compressing by service vehicle 12,monitoring movement of the operator, etc. This monitoring may becompleted via input device 24 (e.g., based on operator input that aservice has been completed), based on input from one or more sensors(not shown), based on the tracked location of service vehicle 12 (e.g.,based on service vehicle 12 being stopped at a customer location for anexpected period of time), etc.

At about the same time as completing Step 320, controller 18 maydetermine if the customer being serviced is also registered for utilitymanagement services (Step 325). This determination may be made in anynumber of ways. For example, controller 18 may reference the location ofthe customer with a database of subscribing customers to determine thatthe customer, in addition to receiving waste-related services, alsodesires to have other utility services managed by the same provider. Inanother example, controller 18 may detect a signal from offboardcommunication device 28 a indicative of a request for such management.Other methods may also be utilized.

If controller 18 determines at Step 325 that the customer currentlyreceiving waste services is not also registered for utility managementservices (Step 325:N), controller 18 may update a waste-related customeraccount, generate an invoice for only the waste services, and receiveelectronic payment for the waste services in a conventional manner (Step330). Control may return from Step 330 to Step 305.

However, when controller determines at Step 325 that the customer isregistered for utility management services (Step 325:Y), controller 18may communicate with utility meters 26 (e.g., via communication devices28 a and 28 b). In particular, controller 18 may receive input fromutility meters 26 positioned at the customer location (Step 345). Thisinput may include, among other things, a consumption usage amount, rate,and/or history; a consumption setting; an amount remaining of aparticular necessity; etc.

In some embodiments, controller 18 (and/or controller 32 at back office34) may be configured to analyze the information received from utilitymeters 26. For example, controller 18 may be configured to determine anoccupancy status and/or trend at the customer location (Step 340). Inparticular, controller 18 may be configured to determine if the customeris on vacation (or otherwise away from the location) for an extendedperiod of time based on a consumption rate, a consumption setting, etc.For example, if a heat setting at the location has been set to vacationmode or a water consumption rate is low (e.g., relative to a normalconsumption rate), controller 18 may determine that one or moreindividuals are away from the customer location. Likewise, if theelectricity usage or amount of waste in receptacle 14 is abnormallyhigh, controller 18 may determine that guests are staying at thecustomer location.

Controller 18 may be configured to update the utility companiesproviding services to the customer location with the informationreceived from utility meters 26 (along with any analysis performed), andto generate at least one invoice (e.g., a single common invoice) for thecustomer for the waste and utility services (Step 345). For example,controller 18 may relay current meter readings to each of the utilitycompanies providing service at a particular customer location and, inresponse thereto, the utility companies may communicate back a feeassociated with the readings. Controller 18 may lump together thedifferent fees, along with an associated waste service fee, and provideto the customer a single amount that the customer is responsible forpaying. Breakdowns of the different utility companies' contributions tothe single amount may also be provided, if desired. The customer maythen pay a one-time fee for each billing cycle for the single amount.This fee may be paid, for example, to the provider of the waste services(e.g., via the disclosed app).

It is contemplated that adjustments to utility and/or waste services maybe selectively implemented at a particular customer location based onthe analysis described above. For example, if usage of one necessity islower than normal and controller 18 determines based thereon that theoccupant of a particular customer location is on vacation (or otherwiseaway from the location), controller 18 may let all service providers ofthe customer location know about the status. This may allow theproviders to tailor their services (e.g., to change a supply rate, tochange a supply timing, to provide a refund, etc.) based on the status.Likewise, controller 18 may be configured (and provided the properauthorization and/or access by the customer) to make adjustments tocontrol settings inside the location. For example, based on a suddendrop in waste being retrieved from a customer location (e.g., a dropthat is indicative of the customer being away from the location for anextended period of time), a heating and/or lighting setting at thelocation may be automatically reduced (e.g., via remote communicationwith utility meter 26).

It may also be possible for controller 18 to selectively generate analert (e.g., an alert directed to the customer and/or to a utilityprovider) based on the analysis. In particular, when consumption of aparticular necessity suddenly changes by an extreme amount, it could beindicative of a problem at the customer location. For example, a suddenjump in gas or water usage could indicate a leak. In this situation,controller 18 (and/or controller 32 at back office 34) mayelectronically notify (e.g., via text, email, call, etc.) the customer,notify the utility provider, and/or notify local authorities of thepossibility (e.g., via communication device 28). In some situations,controller 18 (and/or controller 32 at back office 34) may additionallybe configured to shut off the offending service (e.g., via utility meter26).

Controller 18 (and/or controller 32 at back office 34) mayelectronically receive payment for the invoice generated at Step 345 (orat least receive electronic notification that the invoice was paid, forexample via a check or cash at back office 34), and responsivelydistribute corresponding portions of the fee to each of the differentutility companies on behalf of the customer (Step 350). Control mayreturn from Step 350 to Step 305.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the disclosed system. Otherembodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromconsideration of the specification and practice of the disclosed system.It is intended that the specification and examples be considered asexemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for managing services, comprising: atleast one offboard utility meter; a communication device; and acontroller in communication with the at least one offboard utility metervia the communication device, the controller being configured to:receive information from the at least one offboard utility meter duringa waste service activity at a customer location by a waste servicevehicle; determine based on the information from the at least oneoffboard utility meter a fee associated with at least one utilityservice provided at the customer location; and generate at least oneinvoice for the waste service activity and for the fee associated withthe at least one utility service.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is onboard the waste service vehicle.
 3. The system of claim1, further including an onboard locating device configured to generate asignal indicative of a location of the waste service vehicle, whereinthe controller is configured to communicate with the at least oneoffboard utility meter only when a proximity of the waste servicevehicle to the customer location is within a threshold proximity.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the at least one offboard utility meterincludes a plurality of utility meters, each associated with a differentutility service.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller isfurther configured to: receive electronic payment for the at least oneinvoice; and selectively distribute the payment to a plurality ofutility providers corresponding with the plurality of utility meters. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one offboard utility meteris configured to communicate to the controller via the communicationdevice at least one of a corresponding level of utility consumption, anamount remaining of a particular necessity, and a current consumptionsetting.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to communicate to the at least one offboard utility meter viathe communication device a commanded setting.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the controller is further configured to: generate an analysis ofthe information received from the at least one offboard utility meter;and selectively generate an alert directed to at least one of acustomer, a utility provider, and local authorities based on theanalysis.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the analysis includes acomparison of a current consumption rate with a historical consumptionrate.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication deviceincludes an onboard Wi-Fi receiver and an offboard Wi-Fi transmitter.11. The system of claim 1, further including an input device, whereinthe controller is further configured to receive input from an operatorof the waste service vehicle via the input device regarding the wasteservice activity at the customer location.
 12. A method for managingservices at a customer location, comprising: during a waste serviceactivity performed by a waste service vehicle at the customer location,wirelessly receiving information about at least one utility serviceprovided at the customer location; determining based on the informationabout the at least one utility service a fee associated with the atleast one utility service; and generating at least one invoice for thewaste service activity and for the fee associated with the at least oneutility service.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein wirelesslyreceiving information about the at least one utility service includeswireles sly receiving the information onboard the waste service vehicle.14. The method of claim 12, further including tracking a location of thewaste service vehicle, wherein wireles sly receiving information aboutthe at least one utility service includes wireles sly receiving theinformation only when a proximity of the waste service vehicle to thecustomer location is within a threshold proximity.
 15. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the at least one utility service includes a pluralityof utility services provided by a plurality of different providers. 16.The method of claim 15, further including: receiving electronic paymentfor the at least one invoice; and selectively distributing theelectronic payment to the plurality of providers corresponding with theplurality of utility services.
 17. The method of claim 12, whereinwirelessly receiving information about the at least one utility serviceincludes wireles sly receiving at least one of a corresponding level ofutility consumption, an amount remaining of a particular necessity, anda current consumption setting.
 18. The method of claim 17, furtherincluding communicating to a utility meter at the customer location acommanded setting.
 19. The method of claim 12, further including:generating an analysis of the information about the at least one utilityservice; and selectively generating an alert directed to at least one ofa customer, a utility provider, and local authorities based on theanalysis.
 20. A non-transitory computer readable medium containingcomputer-executable programming instructions for performing a method ofservice management at a customer location, the method comprising: duringa waste service activity performed by a waste service vehicle at thecustomer location, wireles sly receiving onboard the waste servicevehicle at least one of a level of utility consumption at the customerlocation, an amount remaining of a particular necessity at the customerlocation, and a current utility consumption setting associated with aplurality of utility services provided at the customer location;determining a fee associated with the plurality of utility services;generating at least one invoice for the waste service activity and forthe fee associated with the plurality of utility services; receivingelectronic payment for the at least one invoice; and selectivelydistributing the payment to a plurality of providers corresponding withthe plurality of utility services.